Volume 17: Posture.
Hey all, I’ve been thinking a lot about posture and running lately, it’s always been a huge focus at practice. Here are a few thoughts on why we spend so much time practicing run form & good posture.
Posture matters:
Posture Matters: posture has the greatest impact on your endurance. If you struggle to run far, focus on better posture. Good/Strong Posture will also do the most to prevent injuries. Poor Posture puts greater stress on parts of the body and that extra stress eventually leads to injury. Think stress fractures, lower back pain, neck pain/headaches, shin splints, hip pain…these pains/injuries can all stem from poor posture.
Where you look matters:
Where you look matters: This is true for all your running however it is most important when running intervals. Where you look effects how you think. Keep your eyes up and forward. When you look towards the ground your posture collapses. You reduce your ability to recover and thus to continue to perform. You want your eyes to stay up and your thoughts to remain positive. Eyes up and focus. Units you can handle. Keep your thoughts positive. Even when trail running, try to keep your eyes are far forward as you safely can. I know some trails are technical, but still try to remember, head up and eyes look down if you need to, try your best not to tilt your head down. This also shows in race pictures! A great cue for runners is to “take a good picture” This should help you run tall, look forward, and find that shoulder/sternum/shoulder we talked about.
Eyes up:
Eyes up: Where you look effects your posture. If you look down eventually your shoulders will roll forward (Collapse) If you look down your wrist will drop and you will eventually develop a lean forward at your waist. These things both reduce your endurance and inhibit your speed.
Spectator Cues:
Spectator Cues: You can learn a lot about your posture from what spectators tell you when running. If they say: You’re looking strong, then Congrats! You do look strong, great job! If they say: “You’re almost there” they are telling you you look like crap! You look tired and struggling…They are giving you a cue to fix your posture!!
